Magical Memoir Moments

Charming Letters to Authors: Ready, Set, Go!

The author Carolyn See spoke at the first Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference I attended and said something I’ve never forgotten: Write a charming note to someone in the literary world five days a week, to someone who makes your hands sweat. Do it for the rest of your life. I thought that was a great…

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Shirley's Top Ten Memoirs

“Which memoirs do you like best?” That’s the most frequently asked question when someone hears about this blog. Having now read at least 100 memoirs, I am ready to offer my own top ten list for your inspection. The ten books fall into three categories: Memoirs written before the current trend–books that first drew me…

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Top 100 Memoirs: Which Ones are Essential?

Embarrassing story:  When I was a newbie grad student at the University of Texas at Austin, I turned in a review of a book that my professor did not recognize.  He asked me why I chose this book to review.  I responded, “Because it was on my shelf.” He looked horrified. As Paul Newman might…

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